Book of Common Prayer
Psalm 1
The Two Ways
1 How happy is the one who does not
walk in the advice of the wicked
or stand in the pathway with sinners
or sit in the company of mockers!(A)
2 Instead, his delight is in the Lord’s instruction,
and he meditates on it day and night.(B)
3 He is like a tree planted beside flowing streams[a]
that bears its fruit in its season,(C)
and its leaf does not wither.(D)
Whatever he does prospers.(E)
4 The wicked are not like this;
instead, they are like chaff that the wind blows away.(F)
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand up in the judgment,(G)
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
Psalm 2
Coronation of the Son
1 Why(J) do the nations rage(K)
and the peoples plot in vain?(L)
2 The kings of the earth take their stand,(M)
and the rulers conspire together
against the Lord and his Anointed One:[b](N)
3 “Let’s tear off their chains
and throw their ropes off of us.”(O)
4 The one enthroned[c] in heaven laughs;
the Lord ridicules them.(P)
5 Then he speaks to them in his anger
and terrifies them in his wrath:(Q)
6 “I have installed my king
on Zion, my holy mountain.”(R)
7 I will declare the Lord’s decree.
He said to me, “You are my Son;[d]
today I have become your Father.(S)
8 Ask of me,
and I will make the nations your inheritance
and the ends of the earth your possession.(T)
9 You will break them with an iron scepter;
you will shatter them like pottery.”(U)
10 So now, kings, be wise;
receive instruction, you judges of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with reverential awe
and rejoice with trembling.(V)
12 Pay homage to[e] the Son or he will be angry
and you will perish in your rebellion,[f](W)
for his anger may ignite at any moment.(X)
All who take refuge in him are happy.(Y)
Psalm 3
Confidence in Troubled Times
A psalm of David when he fled from his son Absalom.(Z)
1 Lord, how my foes increase!
There are many who attack me.(AA)
2 Many say about me,
“There is no help for him in God.”(AB)Selah
3 But you, Lord, are a shield around me,(AC)
my glory,(AD) and the one who lifts up my head.(AE)
4 I cry aloud to the Lord,
and he answers me from his holy mountain.(AF)Selah
5 I lie down and sleep;
I wake again because the Lord sustains me.(AG)
6 I will not be afraid of thousands of people
who have taken their stand against me on every side.(AH)
7 Rise up, Lord!(AI)
Save me, my God!
You strike all my enemies on the cheek;(AJ)
you break the teeth of the wicked.(AK)
8 Salvation belongs to the Lord;(AL)
may your blessing be on your people.(AM)Selah
Psalm 4
A Night Prayer
For the choir director: with stringed instruments.(AN) A psalm of David.
1 Answer me when I call,
God, who vindicates me.[g](AO)
You freed me from affliction;(AP)
be gracious to me and hear my prayer.
2 How long, exalted ones,[h] will my honor be insulted?(AQ)
How long will you love what is worthless(AR)
and pursue a lie? Selah
3 Know that the Lord has set apart
the faithful for himself;
the Lord will hear when I call to him.
4 Be angry[i] and do not sin;(AS)
reflect in your heart while on your bed and be silent.(AT) Selah
5 Offer sacrifices in righteousness[j](AU)
and trust in the Lord.(AV)
6 Many are asking, “Who can show us anything good?”
Let the light of your face shine on us, Lord.(AW)
Psalm 7
Prayer for Justice
A Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning the words of Cush, a Benjaminite.
1 Lord my God, I seek refuge in you;(A)
save me from all my pursuers and rescue me,(B)
2 or they[a] will tear me like a lion,
ripping me apart with no one to rescue me.(C)
3 Lord my God, if I have done this,
if there is injustice on my hands,(D)
4 if I have done harm to one at peace with me(E)
or have plundered[b] my adversary without cause,(F)
5 may an enemy pursue and overtake me;
may he trample me to the ground(G)
and leave my honor in the dust.(H)Selah
6 Rise up, Lord, in your anger;
lift yourself up against the fury of my adversaries;(I)
awake for me;[c](J)
you have ordained a judgment.(K)
7 Let the assembly of peoples gather around you;(L)
take your seat on high over it.(M)
8 The Lord judges the peoples;(N)
vindicate me, Lord,
according to my righteousness and my integrity.(O)
9 Let the evil of the wicked come to an end,(P)
but establish the righteous.(Q)
The one who examines the thoughts and emotions[d]
is a righteous God.(R)
10 My shield is with God,(S)
who saves the upright in heart.(T)
11 God is a righteous judge
and a God who shows his wrath every day.(U)
12 If anyone does not repent,
he will sharpen his sword;(V)
he has strung his bow and made it ready.(W)
13 He has prepared his deadly weapons;
he tips his arrows with fire.(X)
14 See, the wicked one is pregnant with evil,
conceives trouble, and gives birth to deceit.(Y)
15 He dug a pit and hollowed it out
but fell into the hole he had made.(Z)
16 His trouble comes back on his own head;
his own violence comes down on top of his head.(AA)
17 I will thank the Lord for his righteousness;
I will sing about the name of the Lord Most High.(AB)
12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand
or marked off the heavens with the span of his hand?(A)
Who has gathered the dust of the earth in a measure
or weighed the mountains on a balance
and the hills on the scales?
13 Who has directed[a] the Spirit of the Lord,
or who gave him counsel?(B)
14 Who did he consult?
Who gave him understanding(C)
and taught him the paths of justice?
Who taught him knowledge
and showed him the way of understanding?
15 Look, the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
they are considered as a speck of dust on the scales;
he lifts up the islands like fine dust.
16 Lebanon’s cedars are not enough for fuel,
or its animals enough for a burnt offering.(D)
17 All the nations are as nothing before him;
they are considered by him
as empty nothingness.(E)
18 With whom will you compare God?
What likeness will you set up for comparison with him?(F)
19 An idol?—something that a smelter casts
and a metalworker plates with gold
and makes silver chains for?(G)
20 A poor person contributes wood for a pedestal
that will not rot.[b]
He looks for a skilled craftsman
to set up an idol that will not fall over.(H)
21 Do you not know?(I)
Have you not heard?
Has it not been declared to you
from the beginning?
Have you not considered
the foundations of the earth?(J)
22 God is enthroned above the circle of the earth;
its inhabitants are like grasshoppers.(K)
He stretches out the heavens like thin cloth(L)
and spreads them out like a tent to live in.(M)
23 He reduces princes to nothing(N)
and makes judges of the earth like a wasteland.
Greeting
1 Paul,(A) an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will:(B)
To the faithful saints(C) in Christ Jesus[a] at Ephesus.[b](D)
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
God’s Rich Blessings
3 Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavens in Christ.(E) 4 For he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless in love before him.[c](F) 5 He predestined us to be adopted as sons through Jesus Christ for himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 to the praise of his glorious grace(G) that he lavished on us in the Beloved One.(H)
7 In him we have redemption(I) through his blood, the forgiveness(J) of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace 8 that he richly poured out on us with all wisdom and understanding.[d] 9 He made known to us the mystery of his will,(K) according to his good pleasure that he purposed in Christ(L) 10 as a plan for the right time[e]—to bring everything together in Christ,(M) both things in heaven and things on earth(N) in him.(O)
11 In him we have also received an inheritance,[f] because we were predestined(P) according to the plan of the one who works out everything in agreement with the purpose of his will, 12 so that we who had already put our hope(Q) in Christ might bring praise to his glory.(R)
13 In him you also were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit(S) when you heard the word of truth,(T) the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed. 14 The Holy Spirit is the down payment(U) of our inheritance, until the redemption of the possession, to the praise of his glory.
The Messiah’s Herald
1 The beginning(A) of the gospel(B) of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.[a](C) 2 As it is written in Isaiah(D) the prophet:[b](E)
See, I am sending my messenger(F) ahead of you;
he will prepare your way.[c][d] (G)
3 A voice of one crying out in the wilderness:(H)
Prepare the way for the Lord;(I)
make his paths straight
4 John came baptizing[f](K) in the wilderness(L) and proclaiming a baptism of repentance(M) for the forgiveness(N) of sins.(O) 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem(P) were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the Jordan(Q) River, confessing(R) their sins.(S) 6 John wore a camel-hair garment with a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts(T) and wild honey.(U)
7 He proclaimed, “One who is more powerful(V) than I am is coming after me.(W) I am not worthy(X) to stoop down and untie the strap of his sandals.(Y) 8 I baptize you with[g] water,(Z) but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”(AA)
The Baptism of Jesus
9 In(AB) those days Jesus came from Nazareth(AC) in Galilee(AD) and was baptized in the Jordan by John. 10 As soon as he came up out of the water, he saw the heavens(AE) being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice(AF) came from heaven:(AG) “You are my beloved(AH) Son;(AI) with you I am well-pleased.”(AJ)
The Temptation of Jesus
12 Immediately(AK) the Spirit(AL) drove(AM) him into the wilderness.(AN) 13 He was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted(AO) by Satan.(AP) He was with the wild animals,(AQ) and the angels(AR) were serving him.
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